Senator Ronald Dela Rosa has denied the statements made by Kerwin Espinosa, a convicted drug lord, who claimed that Dela Rosa pressured him to accuse businessman Peter Lim and former senator Leila de Lima of being involved in the illegal drug trade.
Dela Rosa, who was the head of the national police under President Duterte, stated that Espinosa was not a reliable source because of his criminal background. He said, “Espinosa is a drug lord. You shouldn’t trust him. I only spoke to him once when I visited his prison cell to ask about Espenido. After that, we never spoke again.”
Dela Rosa explained that his only concern during the meeting was to confirm whether Espinosa’s claim that police officer Espenido had accepted money from him was true. He added that Espinosa was in a bad mood during the conversation because his father had just been killed.
When asked if he planned to attend the House hearings about the matter, Dela Rosa firmly said, “Never, never, never.”
As for his message to Espinosa, Dela Rosa replied, “Tell him, when I see him, I will punch him in the face! If he can talk like that, it makes him look like he’s clean. Why would he make up a story?”
In response to the claims, former senator Leila de Lima, who was accused by Espinosa of being involved with drug lords, said that she was being used as a scapegoat by the Duterte administration. In a video posted online, de Lima argued that Espinosa’s testimony was part of a campaign to spread lies about her and destroy her reputation.
De Lima insisted that she was always innocent and that the truth was now coming out. She said, “For standing up to the abuses of the Duterte regime, I was targeted, and my integrity was smeared. But now, the truth is being revealed: I was used as a scapegoat, and the real criminals were protected.”
She also emphasized her commitment to fighting for justice, not only for herself but also for others who have been silenced or oppressed by a system that rewards dishonesty and punishes those who speak the truth.
